Not Another Second
by geekybones
Summary: The Reapers are defeated. London Shepard has awoken from her coma after her miraculous survival. Her first visitor is her beloved girlfriend, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. However, instead of being joyful at London's awakening, Tali is enraged at being left behind at the final battle on Earth. But London isn't going to let another second pass and has a surprise for Tali.


The heart monitor's familiar beep echoed rhythmically across the artificial sunlight filled hospital room. A variety of other machines clicked and beeped alongside it, all hooked up to the now conscious London Shepard. She sat in the hospital bed, still wounded and bruised from her miraculous survival. After a stint in a coma, she had finally regained full consciousness, awakening to a room full of flowers and gifts from friends and grateful denizens of the galaxy.

London shifted gingerly in her bed, right arm in a sling and cast, and sighed as she gazed out the window of her hospital suite. It overlooked the beautiful gardens of the Presidium. Waking to find them in full blossom despite the chaos had been comforting to London for some reason.

Suddenly, there was a chime of bells and an announcer came over the loud speaker. "Hello Huerta Memorial Hospital attendees. Visiting hours have now begun."

London rose an eyebrow. "Wonder if word got to the crew yet that I'm awake." She muttered offhandedly under her breath. She snapped to the doorway when she heard the sound of someone dashing down the hallway.

Sliding to a stop and bracing herself against the door frame stood Tali'Zorah, panting from what London assumed was her sprint from the waiting area to London's room. London grinned at her as Tali took a few gasps for air. Tali lifted a hand from the doorframe and pointed at London.

"Y-You-"

"Yeah, I'm alive, go figure." London chuckled candidly.

"You BOSH'TET!" Tali cried out at London fiercely. London recoiled from this sudden verbal assault, dropping the grin. Tali marched pointedly into the room, each step almost punctuating each word in her speech. "You goddamn bosh'tet! How dare you?" She stood at London's bedside, glaring down at her with balled fists.

"I-what?"

"How dare you go off on your own like that?!" Tali fumed, "Leaving me behind like some piece of scrap... You bosh'tet! You almost died out there because you went off by yourself like some big goddamn hero! How dare you?!"

"Tali... I..." London's mind was racing with images of their parting at the Crucible, a wounded Tali begging London to take her along.

Tali beat her fists against the bed, taking fist fulls of the bed linens and gripping tightly. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? How hard it was to leave you back there? How was I supposed to go back to Rannoch and live knowing I'd left you to die? How dare you?!"

Rannoch. Images of the conflict there flew through London's mind now, but instead of culminating in a image of sadness, these memories ended with happiness. Peace between the Geth and Quarians, the successful retaking of Rannoch for both species, Tali removing her mask and the two watching the sunset without any visors in the way. London broke her gaze from Tali and leaned over to the side table drawer to her left where her small belongings were stowed by hospital personnel. Opening it, she began to rummage through it.

"I can't believe you!" Tali raged, throwing the handfuls of bedsheets away and turning her back on London, arms crossed tightly. "Didn't you once think about the people you'd leave behind if you-you... had died? London, I-I can't..." The sound of tears ebbed into her voice. "Joker could barely pilot the ship away he was so upset. What do you think it did to me? How dare you do that?"

"Tali-"

"No! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to-"

"Tali!"

Tali stumbled back as London's hand grasped a hold of her crooked elbow, London half hanging out of bed to preform the maneuver. London flipped Tali around to face her, resettled into bed while wincing from the gratuitous movement. In her lap was a small square black velvet covered box. Tali, now quiet, slowly sat on bedside.

"I'm not going to let another second pass- I almost missed my chance already." London said seriously, staring Tali hard in the face. Masking a grimace of pain as she used her fractured right arm to help her open the box, London revealed it to contain a ring- a wide silver band with a glimmering diamond in the center flanked by two deep blue sapphires on each side. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya, will you marry me?"

Tali gasped, hands covering the mouth port of her helmet. London felt her shaking ever so slightly. "L-London- I-" Tali suddenly flung herself around London, ignoring London's grunts of pain, "Of course! Of course I will, you bosh'tet!" Her voice was choked with tears of joy. Realizing she was hurting London suddenly, Tali withdrew, folding her hands in her lap sheepishly. "S-sorry."

A small moan of pain escaped London, but she waved away her lover's apology with the hand that held the ring. "No need. Here, to make it up, do me a favor will ya?" London motioned towards Tali's left hand. "Help me put it on you."

Tali hesitated, but gave an excited nod. London held up the box and Tali gingerly removed the ring before passing it back to London's now empty left hand.

London rolled the ring in her fingers briefly. "This is the one thing of my mother's that I have. It was her great grandmother's- passed down through the family as a wedding band. On the inside are each couple's initals and wedding year." She tilted the sideways and lifted it to where Tali could see. "I took a chance and went and had ours put on it." London blushed a bit.

Tali tenderly stroked London's arm. Her eyes scanned the inside of the band where laser cut into the ring wall were characters reading "LS/TZ 2187" in English and then beneath that again in Quarian script.

London cleared her throat and pulled at Tali's left hand with her free fingers. Tali let out an "Oh!" and then stretched out her left hand, second finger trembling. Shaking from her injuries and excitement, London placed the ring upon Tali's finger, the fit surprisingly correct. Tali held out her hand in front of her, admiring the ring.

"London- I-I can't even-"

London blushed scarlet, turning away. "I know it's not exactly the most romantic place for a proposal and, seeing as though you were screaming at me before hand, probably not the most romantic moment, but I-"

There was the hiss of air compressors and click of locks releasing. When London turned back, Tali stood before her without her mask on. She smiled softly at London before crawling atop the bed, straddling London's lap gently. Tali leaned in close, face to face, until their noses touched.

"Commander London Sigrun Shepard..." She gripped London's hand tightly in her own, "Yes. I will marry you." With that Tali leaned in and kissed London deeply, bringing her now jeweled hand up to cup the side of her lover's face tenderly.

The beeping and clicking of the machines seemed a whole galaxy away. In that moment, it was just the two of them, finally reunited and never to part again. London returned the kiss as best as her battered body would allow. Their first kiss after the war, their first kiss united as fiancees, the first kiss of their new life together free from war and responsibility.

And London couldn't wait to start that life.


End file.
